Dark Embrace
by Silverexorcist
Summary: After their masters die, Demons and Werehogs are forced to forever fight with each other. Thousands of years later the meeting between a demon prince and alpha werehog changes the world as we know it. Mpreg later on. Colab with Tails Luv-er and Sonadowlover121. Sonadow. Don't like don't read.
1. The Story of Two Brothers

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog. **

A long time ago in the country of Romania lived two brothers. Both were to compete for the throne of ruling the country. The eldest brother, Delos, was to inherit the right to rule and the youngest brother, Yorick was immensely jealous of Delos getting handed everything to him on a silver platter when he himself must use tooth and nail to please their father. One day, Yorick was on one of his usual walks around the city's forest when an old witch blocked his path.

"Be gone you evil entity," Yorick waved the witch off.

However, the witch would not give up and glided in front of the prince. "But, young prince, don't you want the throne?"

"I do but that will never happen. My brother will be crowned in one week's time and there is nothing I can do about it. Now be gone witch!" Again the younger brother walked around the small witch but her next words stopped him in his tracks.

"What if I guaranteed you the throne?"

He turned back around and faced the mysterious witch, "How can you do that you old hag?"

A large smile formed under her darkened hood, "Keep going down this path my prince." She pointed to the path behind her, "And you will find a large purple gem. Carefully bring it to the castle and break it into two different pieces. Take the piece that glows red and say these words, 'Ruler of Hades hear the voice of your loyal servant! Hear my anger, hatred and jealousy of the person I call my elder brother and make him grovel at my feet! Take my soul in return of giving me a tool; a tool that will obey my every command!' Then, you will have the tool that you will need to take over the kingdom but you must not be seen and hide the other half somewhere safe or your dream will forever be out of reach."

Yorick's eyes narrow, "This better not be a trick you hag." Then, without another word, he followed down the path that the witch had shown him. Yorick soon came across a small pond and saw a glowing purple light. He reaches in and takes out a large purple gem; the same one that the witch had told him about. He puts the gem inside the arrow sheath on his shoulder and leaves the pond to return to the castle.

Yorick quickly makes it through the castle and to his room on the top tower. He loved his privacy and had picked this room long ago. Their mother, before she had died, had worried about him being caged off from society. Yorick didn't care what society wanted he only cared about power and that was what he would always want.

The younger brother places the purple gem on the floor and grabs a hammer. Yorick was just about to smash the gem when the voice of his older brother comes from his doorway. "Yorick! What is the matter? Please come out and talk to me!" Delos banged on the large wooden door trying to get his younger brother to open it.

"Leave this place Delos!" Yorick smashes the hammer down and a large flash of light fills the room. It momentarily blinded the younger brother and even Delos from outside sees the light from under the doorway.

"What was that Yorick? Please open the door!" Delos continued his banging. Unlike the younger brother, Delos deeply loved Yorick. When his brother was born he was so happy that he would finally have someone to play and be with. However, it seemed that Yorick had other plans in mind. Delos was saddened that Yorick had to work hard to win their father's affection when he himself seemed to get everything he ever wanted. The elder brother wanted to make Yorick happy in any way he could and how the younger was acting lately deeply worried him. When Delos hears a groan of pain from inside the bedchamber, he couldn't take it anymore and rams the door down.

"What are you doing in here Delos!?" Yorick gets up from the ground and grabs the red gem on the ground before taking off past his older brother.

"Yorick, wait!" Delos yells and runs after his brother only to lose him down another hallway. "Yorick, where are you!?" _Maybe I should just wait for him in his room._ The older brother walks back to the tower bedroom and notices a bright blue gem on the floor. _What is this? _He picks it up;_ I better leave it on the ground so Yorick doesn't think I'm stealing his possessions._ Delos sets the gem back on the ground and walks to the window. _This view is so beautiful… no wonder Yorick loves it up here._ Outside the window showed the entire capitol city of Romania and the full moon combined with the shining stars made a fantastic view for a picture.

The shining moon gives Delos a white shine as he looks into its beauty. "Oh god, hear my prayer, please let Yorick be happy for the rest of his life. Give him a gift of love and fierce protection so he will forever he loved and safe." A bright blue light flashes behind Delos and he turns around and stares into the eyes of two fierce looking werehogs.

The two werehogs bow to their new master, "We live to serve you Master."

Delos is completely confused by the two creatures, "What are you?"

The emerald eyes of the larger, male werehog meets Delos blue ones, "We are the makings of magic, love and family protection. However, my lord, our powers can only be used at night; once the sun rises our powers disappear and we gain the appearance of a regular hedgehog."

Delos nods, "Can you please help me with my search of my younger brother?"

The larger, male werehog smiles showing his large, sharpened teeth, "Of course Master, we werehogs have a great sense of smell you know."

*Dark Embrace*

Yorick, after running out on his brother, was hiding in the same forest that he had found the gem in. He sits on the ground and leans against a large evergreen. A blink of red light draws Yorick to the red gem in his right hand. _It's time to do what the old hag told me to do._ He gets up and places the red jewel a few feet in front of the large tree and goes to stand where he was sitting before.

"Ruler of Hades hear the voice of your loyal servant! Hear my anger, hatred and jealousy of the person I call my elder brother and make him grovel at my feet! Take my soul in return of giving me a tool; a tool that will obey my every command!" Yorick's voice echoes through the forest clearing as he recites what the witch had told him to say.

A bright red light flashes in the clearing and Yorick is forced to look away so he wouldn't be blinded again. When the light finally disappears Yorick looks back to where the jewel was. It was no longer a gem though, two demon-like hedgehogs stood in its place. Their ears and body looked rugged and long arrow-like tails swished behind them.

The two demon hedgehogs bow to their new master, "We live to serve you Master."

Yorick walks in front of the two demons, "Can you help me kill my brother and take over the throne?"

The male demon smiles and shows his sharpened fangs, "Of course my lord but our powers can only be used at night; when the sun rises our powers disappear and we turn into regular hedgehogs."

"Yorick! What are those creatures?" The two demons and Yorick turn to see Delos and his two werehogs entering the forest clearing. Upon seeing the demons the werehog start to growl and the demons hiss when they too see the werehogs.

"That is none of your concern!" Then to the demons, "Kill the creatures that have sided with Delos!"

"With pleasure," they hiss out and spring forward. The werehogs seeing that the demons were on the offensive leaped into action.

"No, wait! Don't attack!" Delos uselessly shouts as the werehogs and demons crash together. A flash of light comes from his left and he just dodges the attack from his younger brother. "What?"

Yorick brings his sword back and points it at his older brother, "Take out your sword brother, this is a fight to the death. The one who makes it out alive takes the throne."

Delos reluctantly takes out his sword, "Is that what this is about Yorick?"

Yorick's face turns red in anger, "Of course it is! I have never wanted anything in my life! I never cared that you always got everything because I loved you but the one thing I do want you rip it out from under me!" He steps forward and takes another swing at his brother with his sword.

Delos effortlessly steps out of the way of the swinging blade, "I'm sorry Yorick! I didn't know! I thought you wanted the easy and carefree life so I was going to take the throne so you wouldn't have to worry about an entire country!"

Yorick takes another swing, "Did it ever cross you in that tiny mind of yours to ask me first?!" Yorick ruthlessly attacked his brother and he got even angrier with every stroke as Delos effortlessly stepped out of the way or deterred his blade with his own.

"Please put down the sword brother and let's talk this out!" Delos was forced to shouting as the battle from the demons and werehogs got intense. The ground shook with their every attack and large explosions randomly happened in the clearing.

"Never! Now attack back!" Yorick thrusts forward and nicks Delos in the left arm.

Delos hisses in pain and instinctively swings back in defense. It hits Yorick in the side and blood drips down Delos' sword. He looks at his sword as if mesmerized that he had actually hurt his beloved younger brother. "Yorick I… I didn't mean to! Are you okay!?"

"That's more like it," Yorick said as he held his slightly bleeding left side. He was suddenly tackled as the female werehog goes to protect her master.

"NO!" And Delos does the only thing he could do to protect his brother, attack his own werehog. He swings his sword and yells in agony as the werehog jumps away and Yorick is hit instead.

"AHHH!" Yorick falls to the ground in pain; a large wound running from his right shoulder all the way to his pelvis. Blood pours from the wound and Delos takes off his shirt and presses it to his younger brother's wound.

"I'm sorry Yorick! You're going to be fine just stay with me!" Delos presses his shirt even harder as more blood gushes out and tears blur his eyes.

With the last of his strength Yorick takes his sword and thrusts it into his older brother's defenseless body. Delos gasps and falls to the ground next to his younger brother. The light disappears out of Yorick's green eyes and Delos' own blue ones lock onto his brother before his too loses their light.

The werehogs and demons stop their fight and turn to the blood stained grass that housed their master's bodies. The werehogs start to howl at the moon in agony and the demons looked grief ridden.

"What is going on here!?" The demons and werehogs turn and see the forms of King Morgead, his trusted friend Chervil and the first knights of the kingdom. King Morgead sees the bodies of his two sons and the four horrible creatures in the clearing and came up with the only logical conclusion. "Knights kill those beasts; they have killed the sons of the royal blood line!"

The knights take their swords out of their sheaths and charge at the supernatural creatures. The werehogs turn tail and run into the darkened forest and the demons disappear in a whirlwind of black smoke.

*Dark Embrace*

One week later King Morgead crowns the new King Chervil and a capital wide funeral is held for his two murdered sons. An all-day funeral was made in their honor of the two princes and they were placed in one grave. This decision was made by their father so the two inseparable brothers would never be apart.

Unnoticed by the entire country of Romania, four new creatures to the world showed up for their master's funeral as well. The werehogs hid behind the trees to watch their master being lowered into his coffin and the demons clung to the castle above. When the two brother's graves were filled, the werehogs howled to the moon above and the demons fisted one of their hands and covered their hearts.

_This isn't the end…_ and the demons and werehogs found each other's gazes. They all nodded and all four of them disappeared.

*Dark Embrace*

Thousands of years later the demons and werehogs still live. Ever since their masters died they were forced to forever fight each other. Now in modern times mortals have no clue that the night creatures exist and they only reside in their dreams and fears.

"What are you doing here Shadow? The sun is about to rise, we must get back to the clan." The ebony hedgehog's tails twitched in annoyance as his best friend, Mephiles, had found him once more. Couldn't he have some damn time alone for once?

Shadow turns away from his view of the lightening sky as the sun began to rise and turned to the dark look- alike. "You can't tell me what to do Mephiles."

Mephiles rolls his bright green eyes, "I do when your father is on a rampage on trying to find you."

"I don't get why he's so intent on making me the next leader."

"You're the first demon born in the royal blood line." Mephiles points out.

"I might be the first born but he has six other children to choose from, it doesn't have to be me."

Mephiles sighs, "I'm only trying to help since your father won't give up."

"I don't need your help Mephiles," the ebony demon snaps at his best friend before he pushed past him and started to walk back to the demon camp.

The black and grey demon jogs up next to the demon prince and they stay in silence while they walked back together. When they walk through the gates and enter the camp Mephiles speaks up, "What are you going to do for mating season? It'll be here soon and your father demands you find a mate."

Shadow glares at his partner, "I'll spend it alone, just like I do every year."

Mephiles was about to protest when the demon king himself stepped in front of them. "Lord Doom," the black and grey demon bows to his king.

The ebony demon narrows his eyes, "What do you want this time father?"

The all black hedgehog demon king smiled and his three eyes gained a twinkle of delight, "I've got a surprise, you two follow me."

Shadow growls out some unmentionable swear words under his breath and Mephiles follows his king without further protest. They walk through the camp and stop in front of a large red tent. King Black Doom flicks open the flap and gestures for the two to walk in.

What they find in the tent will change their lives forever; chained up with many silver shackles and multiple guards standing ready nearby was a large, blue werehog. His bright emerald eyes were like fire and he uselessly tried to break his bonds.

"Shadow, Mephiles let me introduce Sonic the Werehog, the next alpha of the werehogs." Upon hearing his name, Sonic looks up from his bonds and locks eyes with Shadow's own ruby ones.

**Hi! Silverexorcist here! This is a three person colab with Sonadowlover121 and Tails Luv-er.**

**Sonic:**** I've seen a lot of two people colabs but never three people.**

** I know! I'm so excited to see how this turns out! XD**

** Read and Review Please everyone!**

** P.S. If ****Poltique is reading this, I'll do your story! I just don't know how else to contact you. ^_^'**

** Au revoir till chapter four! Enjoy the next chapter by Tails Luv-er and then chapter 3 by Sonadowlover121!**


	2. More Alike Than I Thought

_Hello, my and Silver's readers alike! Tails Luv-er here with the second chapter of _Dark Embrace_! I don't really have much to say since this isn't a story on my profile, so without further ado, enjoy!_

More Alike Than I Thought

"The next alpha of the werehogs, huh?" asked Mephiles rhetorically as he walked up to the hulking werehog. "If we can get rid of him, my lord, then we could win this war."

Black Doom smirked, and that smirk was found horrifying by Sonic and Mephiles, who had never seen him even close to smiling before. "Yes. Finally, after thousands of years, we will be able to fulfill our goal." The king looked at his son, who seemed rather disinterested in the current conversation, instead being more curious about the werehog chained up before him. "Shadow, have you been listening?"

Shadow only nodded. He was an excellent multitasker, and therefore had heard his father. "Yes, Father, I heard you. We'll be able to fulfill our goal."

Black Doom sighed at Shadow. "You are not going to be a good king if you cannot pay full attention. There is no reason to direct all your attention at the werehog, at least not for the time being."

"For the last time," started Shadow, "I don't want to be king. I want some time alone."

King Doom's three eyes narrowed. "You don't have a choice in the matter. You must fulfill your duty as firstborn of the royal bloodline."

Shadow sighed. "You have six other sons to choose from; it can't be that hard to let me go."

"Silence!" yelled the king. "You _will_ be the next king! There will be no discussion! I warned you last time that, if you were to argue this again, the ramifications of your disobedience would be severe!"

_Oh, for the love of Chaos!_ thought Shadow. _How many times is he going to say that?_

"As your punishment, and since you have never been on the battlefield, you shall keep watch over this werehog. One must know his enemy to be successful in battle."

Now, Shadow was honestly not in a good mood. "Why the hell should I be this thing's damn babysitter? I have better things to do with my time than this!"

"Shadow the Hedgehog, if you argue once more, I will not hesitate to punish you further! Now keep watch over the werehog!" He turned to Mephiles and said to the black and gray demon, "You, Mephiles, shall come with me. We have an important mission today. Once the sun has completely risen, we shall depart." He then turned to the guards. "You must leave Shadow on his own."

All of the people who the words were directed toward acknowledged their commands, and everyone present, save Shadow and Sonic, left.

"It seems like you and your father don't get along very well," Sonic pointed out once everyone had left. His voice was coarse and scratchy, like most werehogs.

Shadow turned to the werehog. "Yes, that's true. What's it to you? We all know from the intel we've collected that you don't have a father. If you're planning on trying to sympathize with me on that, good luck…"

Shadow's attention was drawn from the navy werehog in front of him to the light of the sun against the tent's material. The sun had just finished rising. He once again turned to face Sonic, and, as with most werehogs during the time of transformation, saw his face scrunch up in pain before a cloud of smoke enveloped him. Within a few seconds, the dark blue werehog had been replaced by a smirking cobalt hedgehog with the same bright emerald eyes.

Shadow's own transformation began only a few seconds later, and his ruffled fur was smoothed down considerably. The arrow-like tip on his tail disappeared, and the tail itself shortened. The red slits that were his eyes were replaced by beautiful yet menacing black pupils and ruby irises.

"I'm not trying to sympathize with you on that, exactly," began Sonic, his voice now cocky and playful, roughness completely gone, "but I can relate to not wanting to be a leader."

Shadow huffed, not believing the blue hedgehog for a second. "Unless you have the same desire to be alone that I do, you don't understand."

Sonic sat down on the ground and made himself as comfortable as possible when locked in chains. "I do, though. When I become the alpha, I won't be able to do what I love most. During the day, I run for hours on end at supersonic speeds. It helps me clear my head. I don't want to lose this, and I definitely don't want to be in charge of this stupid war. What's the point anyway? I don't even know what we're fighting for, and I don't think anybody really does."

It was true. Both sides had no idea what they were fighting for. Even the leaders of the clans did not know, and that was what troubled Sonic. Shadow had to agree with him there. As much as he hated having something in common with a werehog… _But why should I hate that?_ he thought. _Why should I hate werehogs if I don't have a reason?_ "I agree with you, werehog—"

"Hedgehog," interrupted Sonic. "During the day, I'm a hedgehog, not a werehog. I hate being a werehog in the first place."

Shadow chuckled. This "hedgehog" had so many things in common with him, save his personality. "You're unlike any other of your kind that we've ever captured," he stated matter-of-factly.

"I am, aren't I? So, do you like being a demon?"

The glare that Shadow gave him would have sufficed as a "no", but the ebony hedgehog felt as if he should actually say it. "No. I despise what I am with every fiber of my being."

Shadow's angry tone made Sonic instantaneously switch the subject. "Anyway, why does your father want you to be the king? Doesn't he have any other sons?"

The black hedgehog nodded. "Yes, he has six others, and yet he still insists that I become king because I am firstborn. All I want is to be alone."

"Sounds like someone needs a friend," said Sonic. "I'd be more than happy to be your friend. After all, we seem to have more in common with each other than with any of our own kind. C'mon, Shadz—"

"Don't call me Shadz." Shadow's voice wasn't harsh, however, as one might expect it to be. "And I don't need a friend. Silence and tranquility are my only friends, and neither are here right now because you keep talking my ear off. I'd appreciate it very much if you would stop talking."

Sonic snickered. "I'm not gonna shut up, Shadow. Sorry, but that's just not the way I roll. I gotta have something to do if I'm not running."

"Has anyone ever mentioned how goddamn annoying you are?" asked the dark hedgehog rhetorically.

"I take that as a compliment!" and Sonic's smile grew wide, as if he was actually being complimented. "Look, whether you think so or not, you need some company to turn that frown upside-down."

It wasn't as if Shadow had a choice anyway when it came to having company. He had to watch over Sonic, but he could care less about talking to him. However, if talking to him more exhausted him of all ideas, then Shadow could very well have the peace he was looking for, so he decided to entertain the hedgehog…

~Dark Embrace~

After about an hour of talking, Shadow started to actually take a liking to the cobalt hedgehog he was talking to, and while his personality could be annoying as hell at times, he could be a very entertaining guy, although the dark hedgehog wasn't about to admit that aloud. The more and more he heard from the blue hedgehog, though, the more he started to agree with him.

Yet, there was one question that Shadow hadn't seen coming. "Why don't you want a mate? At least you get to choose yours."

Shadow couldn't tell Sonic the real reason about why he didn't want a mate, so he just made up a quick lie. "None of the women here interest me." And that wasn't even a lie, either. It was true that none of the women there interested him, and that was true for virtually any other woman. He wasn't about to tell Sonic that, though.

"Really?" asked Sonic, surprised. "I saw some real good lookers when they were taking me in here."

"I'm just not interested…" After Shadow said that, Sonic went back to messing with his chains, like he had a couple times during their conversation.

"Man, these things are way too uncomfortable. How did the others you captured even stand these?"

Shadow chuckled slightly. "They didn't. That's the thing. Most of you would just go crazy mad trying to break out of them. Why aren't you?"

The sapphire hedgehog shrugged. "I guess I just don't wanna go back. I ran away, y'know. That's how your father found me. I mean, there is somewhere I could go, but I don't think I'll be able to break out, and I doubt I'll be missed by him…"

This got the black hedgehog's attention. "Missed by who?"

"His name's Tails. He's my best friend, and he's the only normal person I know of that knows we exist."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "If he's your best friend, why wouldn't he miss you?"

Sonic sighed, trying not to think of what he was doing to his poor friend's life. "'Cause every time I see him, I'm putting him in grave danger, don't you see? The last mortal that knew about us ended up being killed by both a demon. If I'm gone, his life can go back to normal."

"You… really care about him, don't you?"

"Yes, I do… I'm gonna miss him…"

And that was the thing that drove Shadow over the edge. He had considered doing this earlier, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Now that Sonic had said that, the ebony hedgehog started to feel pity for him, which was strange, because he was normally not one for pity. In fact, he never talked to anybody that much in one sitting. _What is it about him?_ he wondered as he walked over to the side of the tent, where a key was hanging from. He brought the key over to the blue hedgehog, unlocking the shackles around his arms and legs after he did so. "You're free. Go." He pointed toward the tent's exit. "Go to your friend and hide. I'll make sure not to tell them where you went. Now leave before I change my mind!"

Sonic just stared at the other hedgehog. He was letting him go? "But what about you?"

"I'll be fine! Go!"

Sonic shook his head. "Come with me. It's obvious that you don't wanna stay here. If you come with, we could try to think of a way to stop this war. Besides, would you rather stay here and become king against your will or try to do something about it? As much as I love running away, this needs to be taken care of."

Why was he trying to convince Shadow to come with him? They had just met each other, yet he felt like he could trust Shadow, and he sympathized with him over a lot of things. Shadow could very well refuse, but what would happen to him if they found out that the werehog had escaped in his care? He would be punished badly… but if he went with Sonic, the other demons would most likely launch an all-out search, and although they wouldn't know where to look at first, they'd find them sooner or later.

Shadow needed to make up his mind fast. His father and Mephiles would surely be back soon, along with the rest of the clan. If he were to be caught helping Sonic in his escape, he could very well be put to death for treason, along with Sonic for trying to escape. "All right, I'll come with you, but we need to leave _now_!" Something about Sonic just pulled the ebony hedgehog toward the cobalt one. He wasn't even sure what it was about him that did that; all he knew was that he felt drawn to him.

Sonic flashed a cocky grin and grabbed Shadow's hand. "We'll be gone before you can say 'chili dog'!"

Shadow, of course, felt like being sarcastic at the time, so he began to say the two words, but before he could finish the second, he felt himself being yanked out of the tent at hypersonic speeds, and they were already past the camp. "You weren't kidding…"

"'Course I wasn't kidding!" exclaimed Sonic as he turned his head to face Shadow. "I did say earlier that I could run really fast!" It was true that he had used the word supersonic, but the word didn't even begin to describe these speeds. "Tails' has his own workshop in the Mystic Ruins. I doubt either clan would look there to find us."

And without further ado, Sonic went in the direction of the Mystic Ruins, leaving the camp of the demons in his dust…

_And that was Chapter Two!_

_Shadow: Did you really have to get that little fox involved? I don't want to deal with him._

_Me: Yes, and you can deal with it._

_Sonic: I'm happy that he included my best friend._

_Shadow: If you agree with him, I won't love you anymore..._

_Sonic: But Shadzy!_

_Me: Please review, and let's hope I can break up their little quarrel!_


	3. Revelations

Hello readers! I'm Sonadowlover121 and I'm here with chapter three of Dark Embrace! I hope you all are enjoying the story so far!

Revelations

Sonic skidded to a stop. "We're here!"

The two had traveled a reasonably far distance from the demon camp, decreasing Shadow's concern about being caught. Shadow looked around, frowning. The area in front of them was bare. No buildings were in sight.

"Well?" Shadow asked, walking ahead of Sonic. "Where's this workshop?"

Sonic was about to reply, but stopped when the ground caved in below Shadow. The demon yelled as he fell through the hole.

"Wait!" Sonic exclaimed, jumping in the hole after Shadow.

Shadow frowned when he realized he was sliding through a long metal tube. Only one thought flashed through his head. _This tube better have pillows or a mattress at the end, or I'll be sure to make that werehog's life a living hell!_

Shadow sighed when he heard Sonic crying out in sheer delight right behind him.

"Isn't this fun?" Sonic asked. "Who needs stairs!"

"Yeah," Shadow mumbled half-heartedly.

Shadow squinted his eyes when he saw a bright white light in front of them. The light was gradually increasing in size.

Shadow groaned when he tumbled out of the tube, landing on a soft mattress. He let out another groan when Sonic landed on top of him. He looked up to see a two-tailed orange fox staring back at him with wide sky blue eyes.

"Hey, Tails!" Sonic said, running towards Tails.

"Hey, Sonic," Tails replied, smiling at the cobalt hedgehog. He then redirected his attention back to the demon. "Who's your friend?"

"That's Shadow, and-" he leaned down to whisper the rest of his sentence into Tails' ear.

Tails' face lit up. "I'll go get some refreshments!"

"What did you say to him?" Shadow asked after the fox left.

"Nothing," Sonic replied, smirking.

Shadow sighed and looked around the workshop. Workbenches were pretty much all that occupied the walls. Tools, machine parts, papers, and blueprints littered the floor and the workbenches.

"So?" Sonic said.

Shadow frowned. "What?"

"Do you think they'll find us here?"

"Probably not, but we can't stay here."

Sonic sighed. "I know. The longer we stay here, the more danger Tails is in. We should stay here for a couple days at the most, so we can gather supplies."

Shadow nodded. "Alright."

Tails came back, carrying a tray with three cups and a plate of sandwiches.

"Thanks again, Tails," Sonic said as he picked up a sandwich.

Tails nodded before turning to Shadow and bowing.

"Forgive me, prince Shadow," the fox said. "I realize this meal probably isn't like the meal you're used to getting back home, but it's all I have."

Shadow glanced at Sonic, raising his brow at the cobalt werehog. Sonic smiled innocently back at Shadow.

"Do you have a map, Tails?" Sonic asked, changing the subject.

"I sure do!" Tails said. He smiled. "Are you on one of your missions again?"

Sonic looked at Shadow, and grinned. "You could say that."

Tails nodded before disappearing again.

Silence filled the room. Sonic shifted in his chair. Shadow quietly nibbled at his sandwich.

"So," Sonic said, finally breaking the awkward silence, "why don't you want a mate again?"

Shadow's muzzle turned a light pink. _Stupid werehog! _he thought. _I thought he already dropped the subject!_

"Because none of the women interest me," Shadow said, staring at his sandwich instead of the cobalt hedgehog smirking at him.

"Come on!" Sonic said, leaning forward. "We're friends! You can tell me the real reason!"

"We're not friends. We are allies, only joining together to complete one mission, and one mission only."

"But you have to have a reason!" Sonic pressed, ignoring Shadow's comment.

"I'm not interested in girls! That's my reason!"

"What are you saying, then?"

"I'm gay, okay!" Shadow yelled, his blush deepening.

Sonic stared wide-eyed at Shadow. _He's gay? _Sonic thought. _Is that why he doesn't want to be king?_

"Here are the maps," Tails said, walking back into the workshop.

All three males jumped when a loud thud shook the whole workshop.

"What was that?" Tails asked.

"I don't know," Sonic whispered. He exchanged glances with Shadow before adding, "let's go find out."

~Dark Embrace~

An emerald green hedgehog roughly pinned a slightly smaller silver hedgehog to the ground.

"Your kind just doesn't know when to give up," the green hedgehog growled, his icy blue eyes shining with hatred and anger.

"I could say the same about your kind," the silver hedgehog replied, snarling.

"What's going on here?"

The two hedgehogs looked up to see Sonic and Shadow walking towards them. The green hedgehog quickly stood up.

"Prince Shadow," he said, bowing slightly.

Shadow smirked. "Scourge."

"Sonic!" the silver hedgehog exclaimed, quickly getting to his feet and running over to the cobalt hedgehog.

"Hey, Silver," Sonic said, rubbing said hedgehog's quills.

"So Shadow," Scourge said, glaring at Silver and Sonic, "what are you doing with one of them?"

Silver growled at Scourge, but stopped when Sonic stepped forward.

"We're going to stop the war!" Sonic exclaimed, grinning.

"Right," Scourge said, "and how exactly do you plan to do that?"

Sonic's smile faded. "Haven't thought of that yet," he mumbled, rubbing the back of head in embarrassment.

Scourge rolled his eyes at Sonic's naivety.

"Actually," Sonic said, a small smile forming on his muzzle, "you two could join us, if you want."

"What do we have to do?" Silver asked.

"You would be spies," Sonic replied.

Scourge's eyes lit up.

"They're not going to be spies," Shadow said.

Sonic frowned. "Why not?"

"It increases our chances of getting caught. You're practically asking for someone to follow them and find our hideout."

Sonic waved his hand dismissively. "It'll be fine, Shadow! Stop being such a worrywart!"

"I'm not being a worrywart. I'm being cautious. You apparently don't know the difference between the two."

"Shadow, this could really give us an advantage," Sonic said.

Shadow looked around. Scourge looked at him, a mischievous look in the green hedgehog's eyes. Silver stared hesitantly at him, while Sonic looked at him with pleading emerald orbs.

Shadow sighed. "Fine," he mumbled.

"Yes!" Sonic exclaimed, fist-pumping the air.

"I'm going to be such a badass spy!" Scourge said, smirking. "I'm not so sure about that puny excuse for a werehog, though."

"I also accept the spy offer!" Silver exclaimed. "Just to prove your sorry demon butt wrong!"

Scourge smirked. "Yeah. We'll see who the better spy is," he said before disappearing in a black cloud of smoke.

Silver growled. "I'll see you around, Sonic," he mumbled before teleporting away.

"Well," Sonic said, "I guess we should go look at those maps now."

Shadow nodded, and followed Sonic back to the hidden workshop.

I'm so sorry for taking so long on this. I got carried away with my new Ipod Touch ^_^'

Shadow: So you finally decided to get back to writing?

Yes. I should have a few of my stories updated before the end of the weekend.

Scourge: Yes! I'm actually in this story! And I'm a sexy demon!

Sonic: He has such a big ego… *sighs*

Scourge: I could say the same about you, Blue.

Silver: I'm a badass werehog!

*laughs at Silver* yes you are, Silver! X3 I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please review, and I'll see you all in chapter six!


	4. Ready, Steady, Go

Ready, Steady, Go

Once the demon and werehog had disappeared, the reality of what was happening hit Shadow like a freight train. He had run away from home and entered a new world that he knew almost nothing about. His only companion was a hyperactive werehog that he had known for less than a day. He now had a two spies working under Sonic and him; one a werehog, the other a shady demon that Shadow would have earlier that day not even thought of putting his life in the hands of. Now? He was contemplating where Sonic and him would go first in search of finding out why demons and werehogs were enemies in the first place.

Shadow was in dire need of some Advil. He looked over at his werehog partner and glared at his back when the other happily strode back inside the fox boy's workshop. Of course the easygoing werehog wouldn't at all be phased by their turn of events… That or he was just stupid. Shadow was leaning towards the later.

Sonic must have sensed the glare that were burning holes in his back and turned around. He caught the demon's icy glare and flinched slightly after he lost the stare down between them. "What's the matter, Shads?"

The ebony demon shook his head and pushed past the cobalt werehog. "Don't call me Shads," was his only response as he entered the 'fun' metal slide that led down to Tails' lab. Sonic shrugged and entered the slide as well. Shadow landed on the soft mattress at the end and, after he remembered what happened last time, sprang off just as Sonic landed next to him.

The cobalt werehog turned sheepish when he saw the other glaring at him from above. "Seriously, why are you glaring at me all of a sudden? Did that Scourge guy rub you the wrong way?" A large grin spread across Sonic's face and Shadow had to suppress a slight blush when he realized the werehog's real meaning. The ebony demon continued with his glare and let ice creep into it. Sonic's grin melted off his face from his companion's dark look. He sighed and gave up on humoring the cold demon. "Fine, let's get to the maps," he paused, "but you really ought to let to a doctor take a look at that stick up your ass."

Shadow let out a huff at the werehog's last comment. He just couldn't figure out why the other would think he would have a stick up his ass. It would very much hurt and he surely would have noticed it long ago. He followed the werehog back to the table containing the maps and noticed Tails having trouble keeping one of them open. When the kit held one side, the other would curl back to him. Tails couldn't use both his hands to hold down both sides because then his white chest would hit the table will he stretched out his arms. The ebony demon had had enough of the young foxes struggle with an inanimate object and grabbed two random metal wretches lying next to a half-finished machine. Shadow slammed down the wretches on both sides of the map. Thankfully Tails had seen the ebony demon's actions and moved away from the map when it was finally secure.

Sonic, Shadow and Tails gathered around the map lying on the table and Tails cleared his throat before speaking. "May I ask why you two need a map?"

The werehog gave his famous grin and ruffled the top of the young fox's head. "Me and Shads here are trying to figure out why our two races are mortal enemies."

Tails nodded in understanding and pointed at the map that was giving him so much trouble before. The country Romania was printed on the thin paper and all the cities were listed in their rightful places. The kitsune's finger was hovering over the capitol, Bucharest. "From what I gathered about both your races, nether one of them has left Romania."

"Come on, Tails. We had to have left sometime," Sonic protested.

Tails shook his head, "Both of your clans are still here, aren't they?" Sonic couldn't argue with that and Shadow was giving the young fox a slightly amused expression. "Both of your races are bound to this country for some reason and I'll bet my entire lab that it has something to do with why werehogs and demons are mortal enemies." Sonic nodded in agreement and Shadow continued to examine the map. Tails, seeing that neither of the night creatures were going to speak, continued, "I think your best bet would be to start your search in the capitol."

"Where are we?" Shadow asked. Tails looked up, surprised that the distant demon had spoken. He pointed to a spot on the map and Shadow's frustration was cranked up a notch. The fox was pointing to a spot just outside the city of Oradea, which was almost across the entire country from the capitol. Not only that, but to make it to the capitol he would have to get past the demon camp once again. Shadow snuck a glance at Sonic and found that he wasn't happy about where they were either. "What's the matter with you?"

The cobalt didn't even look up at him; instead, he pointed to yet another spot on the map. "This is where the werehog pack lives." Shadow followed the digit and groaned when he saw that he would not only have to go through the demon camp but the werehog one as well before they reached the capitol. The ebony demon didn't know which one he would rather face; his beyond pissed father or a horde of werehog teeth and claws. He sighed; he would only actually do the later if he made it past his father in the first place.

Sonic jumped up and a large grin was plastered on his face. "Why are we here mopping about something we can't control? Let's get going! We have a mission to fulfill!" He turned to Tails. "Can we borrow this map and a physical one?" He asked. The kitsune nodded and handed the cobalt werehog his desired maps. "Let's get going, Shads!"

"Hold it."

Sonic stopped in his tracks and turned back to his demon companion. "What's up, Shads?"

Shadow shook his head, "When was the last time you had a decent night's rest?"

The cobalt scratched his head with his remaining hand in thought. "Don't know. It was quite a while ago though."

"Exactly," The ebony demon turned to Tails. "May we stay the night?"

"Of course," then the kitsune motioned for them to follow him.

Tails and Shadow had only taken a couple steps before Sonic zoomed in front of them, blocking their path. "I'm fine! Let's go already!"

"It would be better for both of us if we got a good night's rest and gather supplies before we start. If would not be good if one of us drops down, exhausted, from lack of sleep when we're surrounded by demons or werehogs." Shadow and Sonic lock eyes and start a stare down together.

Minutes later, a familiar black cloud swirled around the two night creatures and their true appearances emerged. Tails looked at both of them in amazement. "Wow," he whispered out, "That's so cool. I've never seen a demon and werehog transform before. Isn't it painful?" His blue eyes glanced first at the larger werehog, then to the long-tailed demon.

Sonic was the first to look away, but Shadow was the one who answered the kit. "No, it is not painful." His eyes locked on Sonic's now larger form. "But I heard it's a very different story for werehogs." Sonic ignored his look and walked on all fours over to the doorway Tails was leading Shadow before. He lazily pushed the metal door open and walked through without a single glance back. The ebony demon blinked… and blinked again. He just couldn't figure out the werehog; one second he was downright stubborn and the next he looked like he had the entire world on his shoulders.

Tails walked up beside the demon prince. "He's always like that." _Damn… was I always this readable?_ Shadow thought to himself and slightly glared at the kitsune as if it was his fault. Tails caught the looked and completely misread the meaning behind it. "Sonic doesn't like being a werehog. He would rather stay a hedgehog twenty-four seven and just… run…" _Maybe I'm not as readable as I thought._ Shadow reflected as he processed the information Tails had just given him.

"…Idiot…" Shadow muttered out and strode over to the door Sonic had left out of. Tails momentarily paused at the sudden action and raced after the ebony demon.

*Dark Embrace*

The next day, the unusual duo left Tails' workshop and started for the capitol of Romania. Sonic wasn't at all pleased that he was forced to rest instead of starting the journey as quickly as possible. How could Shadow and Tails not see that time was of the essence? Werehogs could be trailing their scent and be here in an hour or the demons could have already noticed their crown prince missing. Shadow and him had to get moving if they were going to survive this.

"Climb on my back," Sonic suddenly blurted out.

_"What?!"_

Of course Shadow would act that way; demons were such prideful creatures. "I said, climb on my back."

"And why, pray tell, would I do such a thing?" Shadow growled out and even took a couple steps away from his cobalt companion.

"_Because_, it would be much quicker if you rode on my back instead of walking. We could be at the capitol in a matter of hours."

Shadow's eye twitched as the image of himself being carried on the back of… _him_… No. No, there was no way in _hell _he would submit to such a _ukeish_ request. "If you touch me in any way you will die a _very_ painful death," Shadow's voice was pure venom.

Sonic put his hands on his hips. "You're not _seriously _suggesting that we walk the whole way there. It will take us days, maybe even weeks to get there at that rate."

Shadow huffed, "Of course I wasn't suggesting that." Sonic's face lit up. "We'll walk most of the way and take the occasional bus." Without waiting for a response, Shadow took their first step on their mission to the capitol.

*Dark Embrace*

During the daylight hours of their first day, Sonic had tried, uselessly, to get Shadow to make conversation with him and break the uneasy silence between them. Shadow, being who he was, entirely ignored each attempt that the werehog made. Hours later Sonic had given up and instead started talking himself. Shadow, successfully, tuned out the constant chatter that came out of the werehog's mouth.

However, once night had hit the journey had gotten even more complicated. Apparently winter still had its icy grip on the world and a blizzard had started. Sonic, with his furry pelt, easily took the ten below temperatures. Shadow wasn't as lucky; yes he could take quite of bit of cold weather, but when it reached enough to kill a regular mortal and was rapidly decreasing, he wouldn't last much longer now.

First the tip of his tail went numb and the rest of it soon followed. Shadow could no longer feel his hands and feet and his nose had small icicle hanging down. It felt like his ears had fallen off and Shadow had to force himself to keep moving.

"Are you okay there, Shads?" Sonic shouted over the raging wind. Even _he_ was starting to get cold and he could only image how Shadow was fairing in this weather.

The ebony demon didn't even try to shout back, he knew that if he stopped to talk now he wouldn't be able to move later on. Shadow had to keep moving so that, at least, some warmth from walking would keep the cold out. It was only his luck that the wind seemed to pick up and sent a large amount of snow from the overhead trees right on top of him.

He couldn't move. His whole body was numb and he couldn't even shiver to keep his body warm any longer. Shadow heard frantic digging above and two large, clawed hands reached down and scooped him out of the mound of white snow.

"Hey, Shadow, why didn't you tell me you were freezing? You're, like, frozen solid." Sonic tried to move the motionless bundle only to find a lot of resistance. Too much so. He stopped in fear that Shadow had _actually_ frozen solid. Sonic sighed in relief when he saw that Shadow's ruby eyes were still open, but it was short lived as he saw them drooping shut. "Don't fall asleep, Shads! It will only make you colder!" Sonic looked around for shelter, _any_ shelter to place the frozen demon in and away from the icy storm. He let out a frustrated growl as he saw none and cradled the ebony demon in his left arm. Sonic rushed through the forest and tried to keep his companion as warm as possible. All the while yelling and moving the other to keep him awake. "Don't die, Shads! Hold on!"

**Hey everyone! Silverexorcist here! So they **_**finally**_** start their journey in this chapter and a quite a bit of drama in this one. XD**

**Oh and I might not update as much as I used to. Reason? School… So, yeah. I'll probably only update once a week on one of my stories unless I have a huge amount of ideas suddenly fly into my brain. (This does happen quite a bit while writing.)**

**P.S. before I go I would like to say if you have any ideas of what you want me to put into any of my stories, don't be afraid to tell me. Someone gave me ideas in a review of theirs in What Happens in Hot Springs, Stays in Hot Springs and I loved it so much that I'm going to use it. So, yeah. Any ideas are absolutely welcome!**

**PEACH OUT! (Yes, I said peach out instead of peace out. XD)**


	5. Findings

_Yes, yes, the next chapter is finally here! I've had pretty long leaves of absence lately, and I apologize. I'm just trying to get over writer's block right now. It's gone away on some stories, and as you can tell, the next chapter of this story was one of them. So, here you are!_

Chapter Five: Findings

"Come on, Shadow, don't fall asleep!" Sonic was running as fast as he could through the raging winds, but without using his arms to help, he couldn't move very fast in that form. "For Chaos' sake, what does it take to find some shelter around here?!"

_Why the hell is he trying so hard to keep me alive?_ Shadow asked himself. _What does he have to gain by keeping me alive?_ Working as hard as he could to keep himself awake, the ebony demon looked up at the navy werehog's determined face. That look was one of pure resolve. Nothing could stop him from finding shelter for his newfound friend, not even a negative-ten-degree wind chill. _Does he really just care about others' well-being unconditionally?_

While Shadow was pondering over those things, Sonic's emerald eyes were scanning the horizon from east to west, north to south, still not finding any shelter. "Come on! Even I'm starting to get cold! What does it take to find a little cave or something?!" Luckily for him, as soon as he said that, the wind died down long enough for him to get a glimpse of a cave facing away from the wind about a quarter of a mile away. "Oh, thank goodness!"

After about a half-minute run, the werehog made it to the cave, and since it was sheltered from the wind, it was much warmer than out in the open. "We made it, Shadz! We made it…!" Meanwhile, the freezing demon was starting to become warmed up in Sonic's embrace. "But other than this… how am I supposed to keep you warm?"

Shadow's shivering reflex finally restarted as he thought, _You'd better not hold me like this the entire night, werehog, if you know what's good for you._

Unfortunately, the black hedgehog didn't have much of a choice, as it really was the only way to keep him alive. "This isn't really very much shelter, is it?" Sonic asked himself. "Well, it's better than nothing." He looked down at the demon below him, who was still struggling to keep his eyes open. "You can fall asleep now, Shadz. I'm warming you up here."

_Of course he's going to do this all night… How unpleasant… _However, Shadow was forcing himself to think those things. He was actually grateful for Sonic's help; he just didn't want to show any weakness.

"I might as well get as comfortable as possible…" While still holding the shivering demon in his arms, Sonic laid down on the ground and held Shadow as closely as possible, making tan cheeks turn red. Little did the blushing demon know, the werehog holding him also had a wave of red on his cheeks as well as a million thoughts in his mind. _Why am I blushing? Why the hell am I blushing? I'm straight, aren't I?_ It was a perfectly logical question. In his whole entire life, he had only felt attracted to women… and at this point he thought that until he started pondering it more.

He had always thought of his feelings for a certain silver werehog and a certain two-tailed fox as simply friendly and brotherly feelings, but the more he sat, or rather laid, on the thought, he realized… there were times when the feelings were… stronger than they were supposed to be, even for two people as close as he and Tails were. However, that wasn't enough for him to consider himself gay. No, especially not with the fact that he had certainly felt an attraction to women.

There was only one thing he could think of to consider himself. _Am I… bisexual?_ No, he couldn't be. He just couldn't… but then why did he blush every time he looked at the now-sleeping Shadow…? He couldn't worry about that now, though. He needed sleep, and so he closed his eyes with those thoughts still racing in his mind…

~Dark Embrace~

Shadow awoke the next morning when he heard someone next to him shiver, and he felt himself being squeezed tightly. His ruby eyes opened, and he saw a cobalt hedgehog holding him closely. Sonic… When he was sleeping, he looked so vulnerable and afraid… Afraid of what, though? Shadow didn't know. All he knew was that Sonic was mumbling, "No… Don't kill him…" over and over again.

There it came again… Shadow was once again feeling pity for the blue hedgehog. Why was he the only one that the black demon could feel pity for… and why did he blush when he held him close like this? Was he… falling in love? No, he couldn't be. He had only met Sonic the day before, and yet the more he thought about it, the more strong feelings he found within himself. And then there was the fact that he felt more than just physical warmth in the hedgie's embrace… That embrace was actually comforting, and, once again, Shadow was not one to feel comfort.

_What is it about that damn werehog?_ He couldn't worry about that now, however. He needed to get Sonic up so they could get moving… but he could wait a few minutes. He needed to see where they were first so he could get his bearings. He slowly and carefully got out of Sonic's grasp before standing up and stretching, and he was sore beyond belief. "Sleeping on a cave floor sure isn't good for you…" he whispered to himself.

He walked over to the small cave's entrance and let his eyes adjust for a few seconds, but he immediately wished he hadn't, because only about half a mile in front of him was the demon camp. "Shit!" He almost instantaneously ran back inside the cave, because he knew that he would have to deal with his most likely very irate father if he were to be seen by anyone there.

He knelt down beside Sonic and started vigorously shaking him. "Hey, dumbass, wake up!"

Sonic's blue eyelids slowly fluttered open, and green eyes stared back at Shadow for a second. "G'morning, Shadz…" he said groggily with a smile.

"Don't 'g'morning' me! We've got a serious situation on our hands! Don't you realize where you took shelter last night?!"

Sonic sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Does it really matter…?"

Shadow growled. "It matters if you don't want to come face to face with a bunch of demons and a seriously pissed off father of mine!"

The sapphire hedgehog stopped rubbing his eyes and looked at Shadow with a slightly frightened look on his face. "You don't mean…?"

"Yes! We're right by the demon camp! Not even half a mile away! How could you be so damn stupid, werehog?!"

"It's not my fault! I was trying to save your life! You would've died if it weren't for me!"

"This is basically death! If my father finds out we're here… I hate to say what he says and sound like a broken record, but the ramifications of my disobedience will be severe for the both of us! And not only that, but—"

"So this is what happened to you." A voice that wasn't Sonic's had interrupted him from behind, and he whipped his head around to see Mephiles standing there, staring straight at him with those green slits for eyes. "You've allied yourself with a werehog. I knew you didn't want to be king, but going so far as to team up with a werehog… especially him… Well, that's just utter disrespect to your kind, Shadow."

"…Mephiles," acknowledged Shadow simply as he stood up and turned to face the black and gray demon.

"It's that creepy dude with no mouth…" said Sonic.

Shadow sighed at Sonic's oversimplification of Mephiles. "Thank you, Sonic… Anyway, why are you concerned with what I do? You're not my father."

"No, but I'm your friend. I'm trying to tell you the truth."

Shadow let loose a small chuckle. "Friend? I don't think so. Sonic here is more of a friend than you are. He understood me better in one day than you did in the whole entire sixteen years of my life."

Mephiles was silent for a few seconds. "I'm sorry to hear that. However, since I am not your friend, I suppose you wouldn't be surprised that I already summoned your father to come to this location." Honestly, Shadow wasn't surprised at all. He knew Mephiles was a backstabber. "And I may as well subdue you and your 'friend' while I'm here." The demon held his hand in the air, and a ball of black energy started forming in his palm.

"What… the hell?" asked Sonic in awe, but not the good kind of awe. "What is that in his hand?"

"Mephiles has the power to summon dark energy from the surrounding area," replied Shadow. "Let's just say it's not pleasant to get hit by it."

The cobalt hedgehog could tell just by looking at the mouthless hedgehog that he was about to release that black ball. "Then why aren't you moving?" Although the dark hedgehog most likely had his reasons for not moving, Sonic's protective instincts kicked in as Mephiles released the ball of energy, and he immediately rushed over and pushed both him and himself away from the spot where the ball struck.

"Why the hell did you do that? I can handle things by myself, werehog!"

"Well, I'm sorry for saving your damn life!"

Shadow was about to retort back, but before he got the chance, there was a loud cry that came from outside the cave, and it wasn't just any cry. It was the werehog battle cry.

"Shit!" exclaimed Shadow. "How did they find us so fast?! Did that silver werehog rat us out?!"

"Silver?! No way, he would never do that! No, they found us on our own. I told you time was of the essence, but did you and Tails listen? No! You just had to make me sleep when I didn't need to. And what about that green demon? Wasn't Scourge his name? How do we know he didn't rat us out to Mephiles?!"

Mephiles was still there, however, and he said to them, "You two are lucky. The next time I see you, I'll make sure that you die!" And he started to run off, but before he did, he turned his head back. "And don't think this will stop me from telling your father what I've uncovered, traitor." With that, the mouthless hedgehog rushed to the battlefield.

Both of the hedgehogs in the cave let out a sigh of relief, and they stayed put for a couple minutes before Sonic realized the position they were in as he blushed. "Sh-Sh-Shadow… Er… Um… Do you think… you could get off me… please? It's very awkward…" As awkward as it was, there was this weird part of him that _liked_ it.

Shadow looked down and saw that he was on top of Sonic in a very suggestive position, and his cheeks flushed red as well. He immediately stood up to avoid any further embarrassment. "Get up, hedgehog. We need to get moving, and we can use the confusion of the battle to assist us."

Sonic nodded as his blush faded, and he stood up. The two contrasting hedgehogs peeked outside the cave before running out of it, and as they did, Shadow caught a glimpse of Mephiles talking to Black Doom, and the demon king looked as if he was about to explode with anger. _If you want to make my father irate,_ thought Shadow, _this is the way to do it._

As they ran toward a forest, they saw two other hedgehogs, a green one and a silver one, heading toward them. "Looks like our spies are going to give us some intel," stated Shadow.

About thirty seconds later, the four hedgehogs met on the outskirts of the forest. "Any news, Silv?" asked Sonic rather casually.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Just that, as you probably expected, they're sending more than half the pack after you, and they have no clue who you're allied with. They just think you've been captured." Sonic nodded at the albino hedgehog.

"Thanks, bud," replied the cobalt hedgie.

"And you, Scourge?" inquired Shadow.

The green hedgehog shrugged. "Not too much, either, although your father seemed pretty mad back there. He said that if you had betrayed him, he would punish you more severely than any recorded punishment for treason." And Shadow only nodded. He didn't say a word. "Oh, come on, Shadow, not even a thank you?"

"No. I'm still angry at you."

"It's been two years. Surely you have to be a _little_ less angry at me. Maybe a little kiss will change that."

As the emerald demon approached, Shadow lifted his leg and kicked the overambitious teen right in his puckered lips. "No. Now let's get out of here. Come on, Sonic." He grabbed onto the sapphire hedgehog's arm and started forcefully pulling him away.

"See ya, Silver!" he exclaimed as he waved. Silver waved back, and then the two spies walked off while Scourge rubbed his stinging lips and muttered some obscenities.

When they were a good enough distance away, the black hedgehog released the blue one, and the latter asked, "So what was that all about with Scourge?"

Shadow sighed. "He's my ex-boyfriend. Need I say more?"

Sonic smirked. "Well, I can see why you broke up with him. Is there any other reason besides the fact that he's a narcissistic jerkwad?"

"…Can we just continue on with the mission? And I could say the same about you, but without the 'jerkwad' part."

"All right, all right, I won't pry… I'm just trying to make conversation here."

"Well, don't try. You get on my nerves too easily."

The blue hedgehog sighed and put his hands behind his head as he walked. "Y'know what, Shadz? You need to loosen up a bit. Don't be so tense and unemotional all the time."

"I don't care about being emotional or being laid back. Emotions are just a giant pitfall. You get too close, and you get swallowed up. And if you're too laid back, you aren't alert enough."

"If you say so… but sometimes, you've just gotta sit back and relax…" And the hedgehog closed his emerald eyes as he walked on, and it just so happened that, right in the direction he was headed, there was a house… and it just so happened that he bumped straight into it, and as much as Shadow didn't like laughing, he couldn't help but let loose a small chuckle at what just happened.

"_That_ is precisely why you need to be alert."

Sonic gave a sheepish smile as he rubbed his forehead and stood up, and after he did that, an old woman stepped out of the same house he had just bumped into. That white-haired woman glanced back and forth between the two hedgehogs, and her eyes widened.

"Y-you two! You're the ones who are supposed to fix everything!" She pointed at Sonic, "You, werehog," and then at Shadow, "and you, demon! You are supposed to repair the damage caused to your clans by those idiot brothers!"

Shadow raised an eyebrow at the woman. "What are you talking about, hag? And how the hell do you know who we are?"

The woman chuckled. "I see you have the same attitude as one of the princes. You need to be careful what you say. Respect your elders." She faced Sonic. "And as for you, you are very brash, but I can tell there is something haunting the calmer side of you that you keep suppressed…"

The cobalt hedgehog looked down at the ground, as if what was haunting him was something to be ashamed of. "Yeah, yeah…" He quickly looked back up, once again in a chipper mood, and whether that was a mask or not, no one could tell. "So, what do ya mean by 'fix everything'?"

The woman remained rather expressionless as she explained, "I'm the one who told a Romanian prince of a special stone which started the chain reaction that created your kind, and I now realize what a mistake that was. Unfortunately, I cannot fix my own blunder. You two hold the key. You must unite your kind, else a terrible new creature will be born. Before you ask any questions, this is all I can say. Farewell."

The woman disappeared into thin air, leaving both hedgehogs with many questions that would probably remain unanswered for a while…

_Okay, I hope the chapter was good enough for being so late! I tried my best, but I think my writer's block affected it a bit too much... I still hope it was decent. Well, I'll see you all in Chapter Eight!_

-Tails Luv-er


End file.
